7 ways brands and retailers are bringing non-active people into sport

Decathlon has always included beginners in its corporate philosophy in order to make sport accessible to everyone. Simon Valachovic, PR and Communications Manager at Decathlon Germany, explains:

The product range is available in 100, 500 and 900 series with ascending technicality. These staggered offers ensure that everyone can find the right equipment from us. In this way, we not only support the return to sport, but also the continuous development and enjoyment of exercise.

This means starting with affordable basic products, smart apps including training plans and personal advice in the stores. A real booster, especially for (re)beginners.

Decathlon is also involved regionally and cooperates with cities and clubs. As part of a partnership with the city of Hamburg, Decathlon supports events such as the Active City Day or the Active City Summer with its own offers and sponsorship in order to get even more people excited about sport.

Decathlon also offers social runs and VitalSportsDays in many cities. In the parking lots of Decathlon stores, open adventure areas are created for exercise and team spirit with a wide variety of sports. Trainers offer a wide range of courses, especially for beginners. The concept inspires hundreds of thousands of people every year in France alone. The initiatives also focus on cooperation with local clubs and municipal services. Simon Valachovic adds:

'It is our declared aim to break down barriers and make sport easy to experience for as many people as possible, regardless of age or fitness level.

Last year, several brands (e.g. Nike, Adidas, Arena, Puma) donated surplus sports equipment during the"European Week Of Sport" under the slogan "Re-Purpose and Be Active". Old prototypes were turned into so-called "gear libraries". People can borrow sports equipment from these libraries free of charge and get started with sport without any major financial investment. The campaign was initiated bythe "It's Great Out There Coalition" and the "Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI). The EU-wide Week of Sports will enter its tenth season from September 23 to 30, 2025. Any brand can register there and draw attention to itself. The initiative illustrates how sport can be made accessible and tangible for everyone through the collaboration of brands, organizations and local communities. Whether in large cities or smaller communities.

With"This Girl Can",Sport England has launched a movement for women of all ages with real empowerment instead of body shaming. The message "It doesn't matter how you look or how sweaty you get" was very well received. The reason for this campaign was a 2014 study that found that two million fewer women in England exercise than men. The aim was to close this gap and motivate women to exercise at a low threshold. According to official figures, around 1.6 million women have become active again thanks to This Girl Can.
The campaign combines emotional storytelling videos, authentic testimonials and social media activations. It shows real women doing sport, conveys motivation instead of pressure to perform and has become a role model for similar initiatives worldwide.

Products that are specifically tailored to the needs of women can effectively break down barriers to participation in sports. Emma Zwiebler, WFSGI CEO, emphasized

Body awareness is an important topic. Especially for women. Inclusive sizing, period-safe tights and maternity wear are some of the ways brands are breaking down these barriers.

These offerings can also be developed in the high-end sector and offered to everyone in the next step. For example, Nike debuted the FlyWeb Bra during Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon 's one-mile world record run. A sports bra made from 3D-printed TPU that offers improved breathability and comfort and effectively transports sweat to the outside. Obviously an advantage for Kipyegon: the runner improved (her own) world mile record from 4:07:64 to 4:06:42 at the "Break4 Event".

Tony Bignell, Chief Innovation Officer at Nike, recently admitted that the company is traditionally more male-dominated and that it is therefore important to develop innovations specifically for women.

Creativity pays off: The running label boutique Distance from Paris has managed to combine digital buzz-making with a physical experience. At the "Rob It To Get It" event, it invited runners to Paris to "steal" running items. The trick: the runners had to run away from security guards in order to actually keep the items. Among the security guards was Meba-Mickael Zeze, one of the best French 100-meter sprinters. The event not only made waves online, but also generated great enthusiasm on site and showed how brands can generate attention and retain fans in the long term through interactive, unconventional events.

The "Subway Pump Battle" was launched in Seoul back in 2015 as a creative initiative to motivate citizens to exercise more in their everyday lives. Commuters could take part in short mini-workouts and playful fitness challenges directly in the subway station. Participation was deliberately low-threshold so that anyone could take part, no matter how fit they were. The winners received new Reebok shoes to take home or to the office. The campaign impressively demonstrated how exercise can be creatively integrated into everyday life and be fun at the same time.